FanDuel Sportsbook Drops 2025-26 College Football National Championship Opening Odds
Before we had our finalists for the 2025 National Championship even set, opening odds for the 2026 CFP title game were on the table. FanDuel Sportsbook released openers for the next football season, giving bettors their first glimpse at the 2025-26 market. The Ohio State Buckeyes opened as favorites, followed by the Texas Longhorns, Oregon Ducks, and Georgia Bulldogs. While these odds will change, let’s look at who opened near the top of odds boards.
While our odds board below only lists teams with odds at or better than 100-1, there are some other notable teams. The Colorado Buffaloes opened at +13000, Bill Belichick’s North Carolina Tar Heels opened at +12000, and the College Football Playoff darling Arizona State Sun Devils opened at +12000.
2025-26 National Championship Odds
Click on the odds below to place a bet at FanDuel Sportsbook. Odds are subject to change. Scroll to see more teams.
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Ohio State
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Texas
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Oregon
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Georgia
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Penn State
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Alabama
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Notre Dame
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Tennessee
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Ole Miss
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Clemson
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LSU
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Texas A&M
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Miami (FL)
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South Carolina
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Michigan
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Florida
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Auburn
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SMU
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Louisville
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Oklahoma
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Indiana
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Florida State
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Playoff Contenders Return Atop 2026 CFP Odds Boards
Seven of the top eight and eight of the top 10 favorites for next year’s title also played in this past season’s College Football Playoff. The four other teams (SMU, Indiana, Arizona State, and Boise State) fall further down the board, with Arizona State (+12000) and Boise State (+28000) dropping significantly. Three of the four semifinalists (Ohio State, Texas, and Penn State) also return to the top five for next year’s season.
Ohio State (+470) opened the favorite thanks to a bottomless well of talent on the roster and a strong transfer class addressing areas of need. Each year, the Buckeyes lose several high-level starters to the NFL but can reload. This coming season appears to be no different. Receiver Jeremiah Smith returns as a sophomore after already being heralded as the top prospect (as a freshman!) should he be draft-eligible today.
Texas (+600) returns quarterback Arch Manning, a frontrunner for being the face of the sport. Manning sat behind Quinn Ewers for two years, and although not official at the time of writing, it’s expected that Ewers move on one way or another. Multiple key pieces on defense and the offensive line depart for the NFL, but like Ohio State, Texas is a reload rather than rebuild team.
Alabama (+1400) interrupts the CFP string near the top following its first season without Nick Saban at the helm since 2006. Kalen DeBoer led the Tide to a 9-4 record – Alabama’s first season without 10 wins since 2007 – that included losses to Vanderbilt (7-6), Oklahoma (6-7), and Michigan (8-5). Despite losing starting quarterback Jalen Milroe to the NFL, oddsmakers expect Alabama to compete on a national scale.
Who Returns Their Starting Quarterback?
Thanks to the current NIL structure and inbound revenue-sharing, more draft-eligible quarterbacks return to campus than ever. Projected draft picks like Carson Beck and Mark Gronowski opted to bet on themselves and improve their stock in the transfer portal. Gronowski transferred from South Dakota State (FCS) to Iowa. Beck shocked the football world when he withdrew from the NFL draft in favor of the transfer portal.
Garrett Nussmeier tops the list of returning QBs in 2025. LSU (+2400) appears headed for the short list of teams that return their starting quarterback, head coach, and both coordinators. Of the 12 CFP teams in 2025, four returned all four components in 2024. Others saw vast improvement, like Colorado State, Georgia Tech, and Nebraska. Given LSU’s run of developing recent stud receivers, Nussmeier should have another strong cast to throw to this coming season.
Drew Allar announced his return to Penn State before this past CFP even kicked off. The announcement sent starter-in-waiting Beau Pribula into the transfer portal. In his season finale – a 27-24 loss to Notre Dame in the Orange Bowl semifinal – Allar completed zero passes to wide receivers, only attempting four to them. With star TE Tyler Warren heading to the NFL, James Franklin has his work cut out for him this offseason. However, Allar’s return is enough to boost Penn State (+900) near the top of odds boards.
It’s unclear whether Ole Miss QB Jaxson Dart returns for one more season at the time of writing. Rumors suggest he may.
Other notable returning quarterbacks:
- Nico Iamaleava, Tennessee (+1600)
- Cade Klubnik, Clemson (+2200)
- Marcel Reed, Texas A&M (+3300)
- LaNorris Sellers, South Carolina (+4000)
- D.J. Lagway, Florida (+5500)
- Kevin Jennings, SMU (+6500)
- Dylan Raiola, Nebraska (+12000)
- Sam Leavitt, Arizona State (+12000)
- Jalon Daniels, Kansas (+12000)
- Rocco Becht, Iowa State (+12000)
Watch for these 2026 CFP opening odds to ebb and flow this offseason. The second transfer window opens in April.
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